McCormick’s nearly 30-year corporate office presence in Baltimore County makes up just a small part of the company’s history. Simply put, McCormick was born in Baltimore, and residents with long memories would like the company to live in the city again. The city’s high rents could be jarring for a company that owns much of its own office space in Sparks, and downtown traffic jams would create headaches for the company’s large contingent of county workers. Headquarters in Canton could provide a viable alternative, with quick access to Interstate 95, new housing stock at Brewers Hill and amenities at the Shops at Canton Crossing.

MORE: McCormick's search for a new headquarters: How Maryland and its neighbors stack up

Maple Lawn

Although Maple Lawn is often touted as a smart-growth community flush with amenities and new housing, one of the big goals of the $1.6 billion development in Howard County was to attract corporate headquarters. In Maple Lawn, McCormick could find the campus environment it said it would consider in an April request for information. In some ways, campus-style headquarters offer flexibility for a company that changes over the long term, making it easier to downsize parts of a business that are sold off or closed. St. John Properties Inc. plans to develop as much as 800,000 square feet at Maple Lawn.

Hunt Valley/Sparks (current headquarters)

Due to the cost of moving and the possibility that McCormick can’t find anything it likes better than northern Baltimore County, the company may just stay put. It wants to consolidate the space it leases or owns in four buildings, given CEO Alan Wilson’s comments on the company looking for “synergy” among its workers. But with Hunt Valley’s amenities including the light rail, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said there isn’t really any reason for McCormick to pull up stakes. Add to that the tendency of Hunt Valley-based companies’ employees to purchase homes over the state line and McCormick may conclude it’s too much trouble to move far.

Odenton Town Center

With its close proximity to Fort Meade, the 1,620-acre Odenton Town Center might be viewed as a long shot to attract a corporate headquarters that doesn’t have close ties to the Department of Defense or cyber security. Still, if McCormick finds transit links attractive, Odenton offers something other major sites do not: Access to the MARC commuter train and a 15-minute drive to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The town center isn’t as far along as other sites such as Maple Lawn, but with 3.5 million square feet of office space planned in the project, it’s difficult to imagine the development not being pitched to McCormick.

The Crescent

Howard Hughes Corp.’s 10-year plan to redevelop downtown Columbia has at its heart a project behind Merriweather Post Pavilion called the Crescent. The development has always been envisioned as a new home for a corporate headquarters. The pitch is likely to include the development’s expansive retail hub with new residences, a swim club and an indoor concert hall to complement the office complex. But current McCormick employees could face a long commute to Columbia. Without major transportation links, it seems McCormick would be taking a large leap in moving south of Baltimore.

Towson

If McCormick is looking for an urban headquarters aimed at attracting a younger workforce without paying the higher city taxes, Towson could be a good option. Caves Valley Partners is planning Towson Row, a downtown mixed-use project. Towson Row only has 200,000 square feet of office space, making it a bit too small for McCormick’s 300,000 to 350,000-square-foot requirement. So while the company’s younger employees would probably welcome a move to nearby Towson, Caves Valley officials said they have not pitched the project to McCormick and County Executive Kevin Kamenetz has not identified Towson as a potential location.